Embassy News

By Apostolis Zoupaniotis--
United Nations, Sep 20 (CNA) - The main obstacle to the reunification of
Cyprus is the insistence by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash on "two
separate sovereignties", Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs Ioannis Kasoulides
told a press conference in the United Nations.

Kasoulides, who is to address tonight the 57th Session of the UN General
Assembly, explained that "having known the recent past history with the
presence of the Turkish army and the de facto division of the island, we
believe that separate sovereignties mean the legal right for legal partition in
the future".

"It is unthinkable for our side to accept terms of a settlement which will
prepare the ground for a legal divorce", he stressed.

The Minister also talked about UN-led directs talks taking place in Cyprus
between President Glafcos Clerides and Denktash, and about the UN
Secretary General's efforts to break the impasse.

Kasoulides said Kofi Annan's recommendations and thoughts, which he
expressed to President Clerides and Denktash, "may help in breaking the
present impasse".

"So far, I cannot report that the recommendations by the Secretary General
were adequately addressed by Denktash", he noted.|

The Minister assured that the Greek Cypriot side would meet with Annan and
Denktash in New York on October 3 and 4 "with our constructive attitude as it
was demonstrated by statements made by the President of the Security
Council".

Kasoulides said that the positions of the two sides were far apart. "It is the
philosophy that separates the opinions of the two sides so much", he
explained.

Asked what the first step would be for a solution, Kasoulides stated that the
issue of Cyprus has been debated for a very long time.

"The time has come for a comprehensive settlement, without considering the
first and second step", he said.

"Everything is there and has been debated in and out. We have to put
together all those ideas into a comprehensive settlement mutually agreed by
both sides", he added.

Kasoulides noted that the Security Council has described in numerous
resolutions a solution providing for "one state of Cyprus, with a single
sovereignty, international personality and citizenship, with two politically equal
communities".

Underlining the EU factor, he expressed hope that "the window of opportunity
that is still open in front of us, although gets narrower, will get exploited in its
fullest, so that a settlement will be reached before the date of 12th of
December".

"If Cyprus is not reunited by then, this will not be due to the lack of effort or
lack of constructive approach by President Clerides", he said.

Kasoulides mentioned that it is in the interest of all parties concerned that a
reunited Cyprus joins the EU, because it will benefit all the people of Cyprus,
in particular the Turkish Cypriots, who are now in a position of political
isolation and economic disadvantages, and also Turkey.

He added that if the December 12th deadline passes without a settlement,
"another window of opportunity will have to open".

In diplomacy this always takes place, he said, stating also that "the efforts to
reunite our country will continue until the problem is solved".

According to Kasoulides, another window of opportunity that could be opened
after December 12th will be "to combine the interest of Turkey to join the EU
with the interest of the Cypriots to see their country reunited, and making best
use of these two factors to achieve finally the reunification".

Cyprus, which opened accession negotiations with the EU in 1998, has been
divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.